The history of the Longnan region can be traced back to distant ages. By the time of the Zhou Dynasty (11th Century BC-221BC), Longnan had become the cradle of the Qin State which developed into the Qin Dynasty (221BC-206BC), the unifier of the whole country after the Warring States Period (476BC-221BC). Wudu Special District was established in 1949, changed to Longnan Region in 1985 and promoted to being a regional city in 2004. Longnan lies in the transition area of China's steppes with the Southern Gansu Plateau in the west, Sichuan Basin in the south, Qinling Mountains and Hanzhong Basin in the east, as well as the Loess Plateau in the north. The terrain of the city is higher in the northwest and lower in the southeast. High mountains and deep valleys interweave with hills and basins, forming the unique and complex landform of Longnan.